French fresh for Oldham test

Tony Benson

FC LÉZIGNAN have not had to double up in order to play two matches in four days after all.

The French Elite 1 champions were due to take on Carcassonne last night in the semi-finals of the domestic knockout competition, the Lord Derby Cup, in St Estève.

However, that fixture has been held back a week due to a waterlogged pitch, leaving the Wild Boars with a week’s rest in preparation for crossing the English Channel ahead of the Carnegie Challenge Cup fourth round tie against Oldham (2pm kick off).

The postponement has provided a timely boost for the club. Having reached this stage via an 18-6 win amid horrendous conditions at Workington, Lézignan have already proved that they have the capability to overcome the odds by travelling long distances to pick up cup victories.

The extra preparation time — comprising a week of rain, which also can’t hurt too much ahead of a game at Boundary Park — certainly won’t hinder the chances of a side Oldham are not in any way underestimating.

“They have three or four former NRL players and they reminded me a lot of Celtic Crusaders,” said Oldham coach Tony Benson (pictured, right), who has studied a DVD of the French side’s Workington game.

“It will be a tough challenge for us, especially if the pitch is dry and firm.

“They are French champions and their squad is probably stronger than it was in 2008 when they won that title.

“They are a big side with a mobile pack and they’re not afraid to use the ball either.”

Benson pits his coaching wits against a man who takes to the field as Lézignan’s star player.

Australia-born France international scrum-half James Wynne will pull the strings for the visitors, in a competition in which he has enjoyed plenty of happy experiences — none more so than in 2005.

Wynne was then part of the Toulouse side which caused one of the biggest upsets in the Cup’s history, reaching the semi-finals via a 40-24 defeat of Super League club Widnes.

That victory was masterminded by now-Hull KR coach Justin Morgan, who first landed in France at exactly the same time as Wynne.

“This is my seventh season in France and the standard gets better every year,” said the 32-year-old Wynne, a former understudy to the great Andrew Johns at Newcastle.

“The game has become more popular and Catalans have a lot to do with that, while Toulouse being involved in National League One will also helped raise the profile over here.

“I have been following Oldham’s results are we are expecting a tough game.

“But I think that we definitely showed what we could do last year, going away to Sheffield and winning there.

“This year, we went up to Workington, which is a long way to travel, and managed to win in what were very difficult conditions.

“So now it is a case of applying ourselves to the task.

“We have a strong forward pack with players like Chris Beattie, Alistair Brown and Adel Fellous, and good quality in the back line. Luke Hession is playing well at the moment and so is Jared Taylor.”

This is the second successive season in which the French side have made it this far.

In 2008, Lézignan won 37-22 away at Sheffield Eagles to qualify for the fourth round, where they were beaten 46-6 at Whitehaven.